Dental balancing method and apparatus

ABSTRACT

A thin, flat, deformable and flexible member having a resilient core and flat fine abrasive surfaces is inserted between the teeth of a wearer of a denture plate with the abrasive surfaces in contact with the occlusal surfaces of the upper and lower teeth. Then the wearer moves his jaws in a normal chewing or grinding motion to balance the dentures by removing high spots in the occlusal surfaces of the dentures.

United States Patent Graven 54 DENTAL BALANCING METHOD AND APPARATUS [72] Inventor: Frank G. Gravon, 951 E. 11th Street, Bend, Oreg. 97701 22 Filed: Sept. 25, 1970 1211 Appl. N().Z 75,614

[52] US. Cl ..32/l9 [51] Int. Cl ..A61c 9/00 [58] Field of Search ..32/58, 32, 19, 2, 1

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 217,300 8/1879 Starr ..32/58 1,138,479 5/1915 Hougs ..32/58 1,217,593 2/1917 Graft ..32/58 2,183,624 12/1939 Swartz ..32/19 2,526,350 10/ l 950 Grogan ..32/58 1,986,628 1/1935 Edwards ..32/5s Primary ExaminerRobert Peshock Attorney-Buckh0rn, Blore, Klarquist and Sparkman 57 ABSTRACT A thin, flat, deformable and flexible member having a resilient core and flat fine abrasive surfaces is inserted between the teeth of a wearer of a denture plate with the abrasive surfaces in contact with the occlusal surfaces of the upper and lower teeth. Then the wearer moves his jaws in a normal chewing or grinding motion to balance the dentures by removing high spots in the occlusal surfaces of the dentures.

2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEn M1829 I972 3. 68 6. 761

FRANK c GRAVON M/VE/VTOR BUG/(HORN, BLORE, KLAROU/ST 8 SPAR/(MAN 47' TORNEXS 1 DENTAL BALANCING METHOD AND APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the field of dentistry and more particularly to a denture-balancing device whereby denture wearers can reline and balance their own dentures.

2. Description of the Prior Art I-Ieretofore proper relining and balancing of dentures has required the services of a dentist or dental technician. However, denture wearers have always been reluctant to seek out services of a professional in maintaining a proper fit and balance. As the gums of denture wearers recede with time, the dentures require periodic relining and balancing to fit comfortably and to prevent chewing difficulties. Denture wearers commonly use powders or pastes to provide an artificial buildup of the denture and temporary relief of the discomfort and difficulties of eating caused by improperly balanced dentures. But these are only short-lived expedients which do not give wholly satisfactory results.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, a simple device and method of balancing dentures are provided which enable the denture wearer to reline and properly balance his own dentures without the use of artificial powders or pastes. The device comprises a thin, flat, flexible and deformable member having fine abrasive surfaces.

In accordance with the method, the abrasive element is inserted within the mouth and between the upper and lower teeth of the denture wearer with an abrasive surface of the element in contact with the occlusal surfaces of the teeth of the plate -to be balanced. The wearer moves his jaws in a normal chewing or grinding motion so that the abrasive surface of the element wears down the high spots on the occlusal surfaces of the plate, with the grinding movement continuing until the plate feels comfortable and in balance.

The denture-balancing device is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, simple to use and enables fast and accurate balancing of teeth.

A deformable central core of the balancing member enables its flexible abrasive surfaces to engage and therefore balance the numerous curved and irregular portions of the occlusal tooth surfaces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from.

the following detailed description which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a denture-balancing kit including the balancing device of the present invention,

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a denture-balancing method in accordance with the invention using the device of FIG. 2; and r FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a modified form of denture-balancing device in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION With reference to the drawing, the denture-balancing device of FIGS. 2 and 3 comprises a thin, flat, flexible and deformable member 10 of a size so that the member fits comfortably within the denture wearers mouth, between the upper and lower teeth.

The illustrated member has a sandwich construction including a core 12 composed of a deformable resilient sponge-like material and flat opposed outer surface layers l4, 16. The surface layers are bonded to the core 12 and have outer exposed finely abrasive surfaces 18, 19. The surface layers 14, 16 of the sandwich are composed of a flexible, deformable material so that when the member is inserted between the teeth of upper plate 22 and lower plate 24 of a set of dentures, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, with the wearer applying a normal biting pressure, the member deforms and conforms to the irregular surface undulations of the occlusal surfaces 26 of upper teeth 28 and lower teeth 29 of the plates.

Numerous materials would be suitable for usefor the core 12 and surface layers 14 and. 16. A suitable core material has been found to be open-cell sponge-like urethane. A suitable surface material has been found to be an emery fabric or paper sheet.

At least one of the opposed outer surfaces 18, 19 of the member is coated with an abrasive. Preferably, however, both surfaces are abrasive because most denture wearers have both upper and lower plates. In such instances the double abrasive surfaces enable balancing of the occlusal surfaces of both plates simultaneously. Also, even if the denture wearer uses only a single plate, double abrasive surfaces are preferred because one such surface frictionally grips the natural tooth surfaces while the other abrasive surface grinds and smooths the teeth of the denture plate into balance with the natural teeth.

The abrasive surfaces should have an abrasiveness sufficient to remove any high spots in the occlusal surfaces of the artificialteeth. The denture plastic used for artificial teeth is normally much softer than the enamel of natural teeth. Therefore if the denture wearer wears only one plate, a very fine abrasive is usually sufficient to grind the occlusal surfaces of the denture teeth into balance quite rapidly without damaging the enamel of the natural teeth. It has been found in practice that an abrasive surface equivalent to a No. 400 emery surface or finer is sufficient to provide the desired balancing action. An abrasive which does not exceed this rating is preferred for its combined grinding; and smoothing action and to minimize the possibility of damage to the enamel of the natural teeth.

It has also been found in practice that a member having a total thickness ranging from about 1/16 to about 2/16 of an inch is sufficiently thick to provide the desired conformation of the member with the occlusal surfaces of the upper and lower teeth to give the desired total balancing effect.

The balancing member 10 may take any one of several shapes. For example, the device may have a generally straight strip configuration with rounded ends as shown in FIG. 2, or it might be rectangular in shape.

In either case, with such a generally rectangular strip, only one portion of the dentures would be balanced at a time, first by inserting the strip between the upper and lower teeth on one side of the mouth and then on the other side of the mouth as shown in FIG. 4, and then across the front of the mouth as shown in FIG. 5.

Alternatively, the device may comprise a horseshoeor U-shaped member a as shown in FIG. 6 having a contour conforming to the gum contour and being of a size so that all of the teeth of a plate can be balanced at one time. The member 10a would have all of the characteristics of the previously described member 10, including a resilient deformable core 12a and upper and lower abrasive surfaces 18a, 19a.

The balancing devices can be marketed by themselves or in kit form as a denture-relining and -balancing kit as shown in FIG. 1. Such kit includes all of the materials necessary to reline and balance a set of dentures, including containers 30 of liquid and containers 32 of powder which, when mixed together, form a soft resilient plastic relining material that adheres to the denture plate to form a cushion between the gum tissue and the plate. The kit also includes waterproof cups 34 in which to mix the liquid and powder to form the cushion material, a wooden spatula 35 for mixing the liquid and powder and applying the resultant plastic material to the denture plates and a roll of soft tissue 36 for use in wiping off the dentures. The kit also includes, of course, the denture-balancing element 10 and instructions for mixing and applying the cushion .liner material and for balancing the dentures.

The cushion relining material can comprise any one of several well-known products commercially available such as, for example, a product sold commercially as Coe-Soft by Coe Laboratories Inc., of Chicago, Illinois, or Tru-Soft sold by Harry J. Bosworth Company of Chicago, Illinois. All of these cushion lining denture materials are composed of a self-curing soft dental plastic.

A typical procedure for relining and balancing a set of dentures is as follows:

The plate to be relined and balanced should be clean and dry. If both upper and lower plates are to be relined and balanced, one plate is relined at a time. For relining a plate, one of the containers of liquid 30 is emptied into cup 34. Then a container 32 of powder is emptied slowly into the liquid in the cup, and wooden spatula 35 is used to stir the powder and liquid thoroughly for one minute, or as otherwise required depending on the relining material used. 1

Immediately after mixing the relining material is poured onto the gum side of the plate to cover the entire area with a thin layer of the mixture, using the spatula to spread the mixture evenly over the plate. The plate is then carefully seated on the gums and closed under light pressure onto the opposing teeth. This distributes the cushion liner material evenly over the gum side of the denture and forces excess material therefrom.

The light pressure on the opposing teeth is maintained for approximately three minutes. Then the denture is closed firmly onto the opposing teeth and held in position under a firm pressure for three more minutes. Thereafter the denture is removed and rinsed under cold tap water. At this point excess liner material is trimmed from the denture using manicure scissors, a sharp knife or a razor blade. I

The same procedure is repeated for the other denture if both upper and lower dentures are to be relined.

For balancing the relined dentures, the balancing element 10 is used according to the following procedure:

The relined dentures are inserted in place within the mouth. Then element 10 is inserted edgewise between the upper and lower teeth of a set of plates, or between a plate and the natural teeth, and a natural biting pressure is applied to the element. Then the jaw is moved in all directions in a normal chewing or grinding motion. During this movement the abrasive element smooths and grinds down high spots on the occlusal surfaces of the denture which are hitting firstor which are not in balance. The chewing and grinding motion is continued until all teeth of the denture are hitting evenly with the teeth of the opposed plate. This can be easily detected by feel, so the wearer will know that the teeth are in proper balance when the denture feels comfortable during the chewing motion. When the teeth feel in balance, the element is removed and the mouth rinsed out.

Using the straight-shaped element of FIG. 2, the wearer would follow the foregoing balancing procedure first on one side of the mouth and then on the opposite side of the mouth as shown in FIG. 4, and then to the front portion of the mouth in the manner shown in FIG. 5. However, with the horseshoe-shaped element 104% shown in FIG. 6, the foregoing procedure could be car ried out with respect to all teeth of both upper and lower plates simultaneously.

Having illustrated and described a preferred form of the invention, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the same permits of modification in arrangement and detail. I claim as my invention all such modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A device for balancing teeth of a dental plate comprising:

a thin, flat, flexible member of a size so as to be insertable edgewise within the mouth and between the upper and lower occlusal surfaces of a set of teeth within the mouth,

said member comprising a sandwich including a deformable resilient core of sponge-like material having an open cellular construction and a pair of opposed flat but flexible and deformable surface layers adapted to engage said upper and lower occlusal surfaces,

both of said surface layers having opposed flat outer surfaces comprising an abrasive surface adapted to engage the occlusal surface of the teeth of a denture plate,

said abrasive surfaces having sufficient abrasiveness to correct an occlusal imbalance between the teeth of said plate and the teeth which said plate engages through a relative grinding movement between the occlusal surfaces of the upper and lower teeth but having an abrasiveness not exceeding approximately that provided by a No. 400 emery surface, the total thickness of said member being in the opposed teeth sive surfaces facing the occlusal surfaces of the teeth of said plate,

then moving the jaw in all directions in a normal chewing motion with the occlusal surfaces of the teeth of said plate in contact with an abrasive surface of said element,

and continuing said chewing motion to grind down high spots and imbalances in the occlusal surfaces of said plate until the occlusal surfaces of said plate are in balance with the occlusal surfaces of r the opposed teeth.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTEUN Patent No. 3,686,761 Dated August 29, 19 72 Inventor(s) G. GraVOn It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

The patent was assigned to:

Kirkman Labs. Inc. of Portland, Oregon a Washington corporation.

Signed and sealed this 3rd day of April 1973.

(SEAL) Attest: Y

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM F'O-105O (10-69) USCOMM-DC 60375-P59 U.S, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE i I969 0-366-334 

1. A device for balancing teeth of a dental plate comprising: a thin, flat, flexible member of a size so as to be insertable edgewise within the mouth and between the upper and lower occlusal surfaces of a set of teeth within the mouth, said member comprising a sandwich including a deformable resilient core of sponge-like material having an open cellular construction and a pair of opposed flat but flexible and deformable surface layers adapted to engage said upper and lower occlusal surfaces, both of said surface layers having opposed flat outer surfaces comprising an abrasive surface adapted to engage the occlusal surface of the teeth of a denture plate, said abrasive surfaces having sufficient abrasiveness to correct an occlusal imbalance between the teeth of said plate and the teeth which said plate engages through a relative grinding movement between the occlusal surfaces of the upper and lower teeth but having an abrasiveness not exceeding approximately that provided by a No. 400 emery surface, the total thickness of said member being in the range of from about one-sixteenth of an inch to two-sixteenths of an inch.
 2. A method of balancing a denture plate comprising the steps: inserting the plate to be balanced in the proper position within the wearer''s mouth so that the occlusal surfaces of the teeth of the denture plate can engage the occlusal surfaces of the opposed teeth within the mouth, inserting a thin, flat, flexible and deformable member having finely abrasive upper and lower surfaces between the upper and lower teeth with the abrasive surfaces facing the occlusal surfaces of the teeth of said plate, then moving the jaw in all directions in a normal chewing motion with the occlusal surfaces of the teeth of said plate in contact with an abrasive surface of said element, and continuing said chewing motion to grind down high spots and imbalances in the occlusal surfaces of said plate until the occlusal surfaces of said plate are in balance with the occlusal surfaces of the opposed teeth. 